Explore the wonders of the Earth. In this site, you will find some information about hiking trails, some of the natural wonders in the places we explored, some itineraries of our travels, some road trip information, some health and fitness tips to enjoy the outdoors, and more of the simple joys from our natural world. Life, like hiking, has lots of ups and down, rugged and steep terrains, switchbacks, and beautiful scenic turns.- Betchai

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Sol Duc Falls, Olympic National Park

Sol Duc Falls, Olympic National Park, WA

( taken from the foot bridge)

The hike: 1.8 miles round trip, with easy ups and downs

Do you underestimate easy hikes? We don't. We do not choose our hikes because they are the most challenging and most strenuous, or the opposite. Rather, we choose our hikes on scenic rewards. Others will skip an easy hike, such as this one probably, not knowing the rewards they would miss.

The trail to Sol Duc Falls is one of those easy hikes that is filled with ohs and ahs from trail head to destination. The trail head was beautifully adorned with rhododendrons,

Beautiful Pacific Rhododenron inside the Forest

and the trail meanders through old-growth forest.

Sol Duc Falls Trail

Sol Duc Falls trail is actually a get-away to a number of more ambitious trails. Those who are into backpacking can apply for wilderness permit, carry their camping gear, and continue to hike further up the mountain. There were several streams to cross in the trail, and at one point, we were so awed by the flowing stream on mossy rocks that we spent some time taking pictures, nourishing our spirits with inspirations from nature.

With the very low light inside the forest, I had to shoot with longer exposure. Since we were lazy to check in our luggage, we decided to only carry what is allowed for carry on, and that meant leaving behind our tripod and trekking poles too. Without a tripod, it was very challenging to take decent picture without camera shake. I made my own tripod by kneeling down and putting my elbow down on the ground. I was in that position to take the picture below, when a well meaning older guy passed by and told me,

Some of the Streams We had to Cross, with mossy rocks

"continue on....you will see more wonder".

I responded: "thanks...I know, but I can not let this wonder passed me too. It is very seldom I see rocks so green with moss."

We exchanged smile, and I believe we understood each other. A lot of times, when I hike, I do not focus on the destination only, but also on what I see around. This makes my hike and my experience more meaningful for me. From this stream, a few more steps beyond we started to hear the roaring waterfalls. We know it can not be anymore from small creeks, but must be from Sol Duc River. With excitement, we continued to follow the forested trail,

Sol Duc Trail in the Midst of Old Growth Forest

until we finally reached the bridge, which probably has the best viewing for Sol Duc Falls. The first picture of the waterfall above, the picture of the Sol Duc Trail in the Midst of Old Growth Forest and the picture below were all taken from the bridge.

Sol Duc Falls from the Foot Bridge

Here, even with very low light, I did not have to use myself as the tripod to take this picture, all I did was used the railings of the bridge for camera support to avoid camera shake. The bridge is supposed to be the end of the trail for those hiking to Sol Duc Falls only, while the trail continues to other points of interest. The thundering sound of the waterfall however was attracting us to cross the bridge, curious if how the falls look like at the other end of the trail.

Sol Duc Falls from Past the Bridge

It was amazing to see the water falling from the river and then, crashing against the rocks producing a roaring sound like that of a thunder. We continued a little further up the river to see what the waterfall is like, and here are some more pictures.

Me, Photographing Sol Duc Fall ( the tree was my support)

Sol Duc Falls and Bridge

The sound of the river and the waterfall, and the shelter of the forest was so relaxing for us that we stayed long here in the river. We enjoyed taking photos of each other, probably you could tell we are not only family of hikers, but also family of photography loving people.

Our Kind of Family Fun

Definitely, we enjoyed family togetherness at Sol Duc Falls, having the time of our lives. We almost forget the time until we saw from a distant haze from camp fire. Some campers were emptying their picnic backpacks, their tents well put up, and had started a fire. We looked at our watch, and realized it was getting late and time for us to head back to the trail head.

Sad It May Be To Leave This Forest, But We Have to Get Back to the Trailhead

The light inside the forest was getting dimmer and dimmer. How I wished we were like those campers too that would be enjoying this forest at night. But since we were no campers, we had to rush to our place of lodging, which was in Forks, Washington. In my Twilight room at Forks, I dreamed of sleeping here,

Mossy Tree

with the mossy tree as our handsome guards. Let me end this post with a quote from Mother Teresa....

"We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature- trees, flowers, grass- grow in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence....We need silence to be able to touch souls." - Mother Teresa

Sol Duc Falls Location: Sol Duc Falls is within Olympic National Park, Washington. It is between two little touristy towns serving Olympic National Park visitors. To the East is Port Angeles, about 40 miles, and to the West is Forks, also about 40 miles. The closest lodging from Sol Duc Falls is Lake Crescent Lodge, about 20 miles East. However, we considered Forks as our lodging place because it is centered where most of our desired hikes in Olympic National Park.

Nice recap of what happened... And the quote at the end, it reminds me of what I always say, "I can never be alone with nature." For in the midst of it is a silence full of music, wonder and tranquility that brings me closer to God. - RCA

"A lot of times, when I hike, I do not focus on the destination only, but also on what I see around."- love this line Liz...it reflects your outlook in life, i am so happy i can finally post comments here hehehehe, and yah i am bathing in blue!

Whew the oh so green moss on the rocks and trees is so refreshing a sight! Wishing next time you could go camping there and I could join you! I could almost hear the wonderful sound of the falls calling out to me!

This is amazing, you are right, we shouldn't underestimate easy hikes for there are still great rewards that we can find / see along the trail. the falls are magnificent..and the trail man! it seems like always spring there.

The more I see your outdoor adventures, the more I desire to move out of New York. You see, you can do this kind of treks year round in San Diego. Here, everything is on hold until, the weather gets better.